If it is for medically necesssary care, Medicare will pay for it. They won't pay for housekeeping care (cooking, grooming, cleaning, etc.). However, there are some volunteer organizations that will cook meals or provide transportation for cancer patients. You sisters should check with her oncologist to see what is available in that area.

Drug or Chemo Therapy (Chemotherapy): She has had two chemo treatments thus far and they seem to be helping with her pain. We are very disappointed with her doctors because they haven't told us of any game plan other than this is a very aggressive cancer and we will give it a month to see how she resoponds and then decide if they should continue with treatments.

Oh No (Diagnosed): My mother was complaining of back and hip pains. It deteriorated over the course of approx 10 days to the point she could not walk on her own. She was taken to emergency where they took blood and found her counts were about half of what they should be. After a series of tests, the oncologist at the hospital notified us that she was diagnosed with a rare aggressive multiple myeloma. We were told the prognosis was 6 months to a year. They were to start chemotherapy and radiation, but her care has been very sporadic with little communication and no set plan. She can't walk on her own and was placed in a skilled care facitlity and now they are telling us she needs to go home, even though we have no means to take care of her 24 hours a day without some outside help.

What is that Goodwill number?

The Goodwill number is one way you can tell how helpful each WhatNext member has been in providing information that may help others in the network. Someone with a “0” by their name may mean that they are new to the network, while someone with a higher number means that they may have either posted more information in their journey, asked questions and/or provided answers that others may have “liked.” Your number can change daily based on your contributions and involvement.

As you get involved and contribute on WhatNext, you’ll be recognized with the following badges:

0 - 500

501 - 1499

1500 - 3499

3500+

Please help us spread the word about WhatNext so more people can find more relevant matches, gain more insight and feel a little less alone.